I've been getting lots of requests for spur-of-the-moment, leftover type meals.
Said another way...please give me some ideas for weeknights when I don't want spend hours in the kitchen and all of my takeout options sound meh!
Because that's how most meals come about right?
Okay...so you open the fridge and see a Poblano that's starting to wrinkle, a tupperware container of leftover Pico de Gallo, and a half jar of stock. What would you make?
First things first, plop that Poblano in the oven (400F) and let it roast for 20-30 minutes. This will enhance its flavor and the aroma will make your kitchen smell professional.
As the Poblano roasts get 1/4 onion cooking in some butter over medium heat.
When it starts to brown add a single, minced garlic clove and cook briefly.
Then we'll add a single tablespoon of flour and give it a good stir. This step will thicken up the soup but you can consider it optional if you want to avoid flour.
Then we'll add the remaining ingredients:
1.5 cups stock
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano What is Mexican oregano?
pinch of cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly cracked black pepper
We'll let this simmer for a few minutes and then add the Poblano.
Here's what the Poblano looked like after a half hour in the oven:
See those wrinkled bits of skin?
You can pull off and discard the puffy bits, but don't worry about getting rid of every last bit as it won't affect the flavor. More info on working with Poblanos.
De-stem and de-seed the Poblano, then give it a rough chop and add it to the soup pot.
Let this simmer briefly and then combine well in a traditional blender or you can use an immersion blender (!!).
Add the soup back to the pot and take a final taste for seasoning.
The exact amount of salt will depend on which stock you're using.
I'm using this homemade chicken stock that has zero sodium so I added another generous pinch to this batch.
For the mini Pico quesadillas you can plop 4 corn tortillas in a large, dry skillet over medium heat.
Add cheese and Pico de Gallo to the tortillas. I usually favor one side of the tortilla knowing that these will be folded in half.
Once they are warm and pliable you can fold them in half and cook each side until light brown spots are forming on the tortillas.
And yes, you can serve up your Poblano Soup like this:
And it will still be awesome.
But a burst of acidity really brightens it up so please keep that in mind!
I garnished with Crema, cilantro stems, and a few drops of hot sauce. A squeeze of lime or diced pickled goodies would work equally well for the acidity.
It's a delicious, soul-warming soup and yes, it has some kick!
The mini quesadillas are wildly flexible too, so feel free to load them up with whatever you have available. Next to Pico I'd say my most common fixing is these Refried Beans.
Keep in mind that the recipe box below will be for a quick, one-person type meal. If you're thinking about making a bigger batch of the soup, then check out the original Poblano Soup recipe that uses 5-6 Poblanos and will be enough for 3-4 people.
Okay I hope you get some ideas from this impromptu meal. Let me know if you find it helpful and I will put up similar meals over the coming weeks.
Enjoy!!
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Quick Poblano Soup with Mini Pico Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 1 Poblano pepper
- 1/4 onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1.5 cups stock
- 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- pinch of cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon salt (plus more to taste)
- freshly cracked black pepper
- corn tortillas
- cheese
For the garnish (optional):
- Crema
- freshly chopped cilantro
- hot sauce (or a squeeze of lime, or pickled something)
For the Pico de Gallo (optional):
- 2 plum tomatoes
- 1/2 small onion
- 1 jalapeno
- 15-20 sprigs cilantro
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Start by giving the Poblano a good rinse and roast it in the oven (400F) for a half hour or so.
- Roughly chop 1/4 onion and cook it in some butter over medium heat in a small saucepan. When the onion is starting to brown, add a single minced garlic clove and cook briefly, stirring regularly.
- Add a single tablespoon of flour and combine well with the onion-garlic mixture. This step will thicken up the soup but you can consider it optional if you want to avoid flour.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot: 1.5 cups stock, 1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano, a pinch of cumin, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and some freshly cracked black pepper. Let simmer for a few minutes or until the Poblano finishes roasting.
- Once the Poblano has roasted you can de-stem and de-seed it. If there are puffy bits of skin you can remove and discard those, but don't worry about getting rid of every last bit as it won't affect the flavor. Roughly chop the Poblano and add it to the soup pot.
- Simmer briefly and then combine everything in a blender (or use an immersion blender). Return the soup to the pan and take a final taste for seasoning. I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch (so that is approx. 1/2 teaspoon total) but the exact salt level will depend on which stock you're using. I also added another pinch of Mexican oregano to this batch.
- If you want to make the Pico de Gallo from scratch, give the tomatoes, jalapeno and cilantro a good rinse and peel the onion. Finely chop the 2 tomatoes, 1/2 onion, and jalapeno into 1/4" sized chunks. Finely dice 15-20 sprigs cilantro. Combine it all in a mixing bowl and add 1/4 teaspoon salt and the juice of 1 lime. Mix together well and taste for seasoning, adding more salt and lime if necessary.
- To make the mini quesadillas, plop four corn tortillas in a large, dry skillet over medium heat. Add cheese and Pico to the tortillas. Once they are warm and pliable you can fold them in half and cook each side until light brown spots are forming on the tortillas.
- Serve your mini Pico quesadillas next to the Poblano soup and chow down! I garnished the soup with Crema, cilantro stems, and a few drops of hot sauce. The garnishes are optional but try to add some acidity to your soup as it really brightens it up -- a squeeze of lime or pickled something would work equally well.
Want to see the latest recipe? It's this Bacon Red Pozole:
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meldrape
I just made this earlier and I'll heat it up for the games. VERY delicious from what I've tasted already, hard to control myself, lol. I am also making the quesadillas with pico and monterey jack. I made two the other day as a trial run with just the jack and they were wonderful. I love your site, I love your recipes.
Patrick
Thanks Mel! So glad to hear you've added this one to your arsenal, I get loads of mileage from those Pico cheese quesadillas 🙂 Cheers.
Eva
Thanks for this one! Looks delish and now I know what to make tomorrow! Your knives are so sharp, what brand are they?
Patrick
Thanks Eva I hope you try this one out! Lately I just buy cheap Mercer knives on Amazon and keep them really sharp. Cheers.
Mary Roan
You NEED an app or something that we can just open up and there you are!
I hate weeding through all those advertisments.
and what about a PRINT button?
Just askin... great recipes. i love the simplicity and how GOOD your recipes turn out!
Thank you!
Patrick
Thanks Mary! Check out the recipe box at the bottom of each post -- you can print out the recipes from there, no ads 🙂 Cheers.